News Here and There
I've been back just over a week now, a few days to recover from the time change, a short work week, one day to come up for air and back into the flow of things. All the while I've had a flood of thoughts, so in no particular order:Things have changed here. It's not just that there is finally a new government, or they've removed a lot of the T-walls, or that Muqtada al-Sadr (whose rhetoric has not changed) has returned to Iraq, or that our rule of law section is one attorney smaller than before I left, or even that it's cold outside at times. It's something else and it feels a bit strange. I'll let you know what it is if I ever figure it out.
Happy Iraqi Army day (a few days late). I drove by the crossed swords (see an earlier posting) the day before and saw a lot of troops there. Other PRT members saw them in parade formation with aircraft overhead. That must have been a sight.
Folks ask if there's been any real progress. Those that were around 3 years ago say without hesitation - YES! To paraphrase others, it may not be the progress we want, or at the pace we want, but you wouldn't want to go back to those times. As far as I can tell, they're right.
I'm still struck at how different the news is here from that of home (I check out the Washington Post, New York Times and the BBC website daily). Some things that are big here get no or little play at home, and vice versa. Sometimes I can't figure out why that is so.
A colleague of ours lost a family member in tragic circumstances that no family should be subjected to. Security here is not normal.
I lost a fraternity brother as well. Kim was the keystone for the Metagenes chapter for several decades. For that, many are thankful and will mourn his passing.
Politics is interfering with our mission here - in more ways than one. I won't go into specifics, but you can read about one aspect of it here. It's delaying projects we've developed with our contacts and it's interfering with planning for the future. I'm not talking about policies, I'm talking about D.C. politics. Let us do our jobs.
The meals at the DFAC (that's Dining FACility for those who don't know) have gotten better. A lot better, in fact. Though they still can't figure out how to cook hash browns like the previous contractors. It can't be that hard can it?
The days have been beautiful. As I've been told, Iraq is a wonderful place to live (well, in peaceful times) if you can afford to live elsewhere for 4 months out of the year. I'm enjoying the weather.
Thank you Ann! The coffee arrived just in time - I used the last of my beans yesterday. You know I'm going senile when I pack my bags and forget the beans. Fresh ground coffee, hot water and a french press can make any place better, even Iraq.
Overall, just another beautiful week in Baghdad!